After just three years in north London, the Frenchman forced a move to Manchester City where he has since won the Premier League title.

His name still rings around Emirates Stadium on matchday, though it's sung in far more derogatory terms than it once was.

*Scroll down to see video of the altercation

Gunner get nasty: Arsenal fans turned on Marouane Chamakh and Samir Nasri as the pair walked to Emirates Stadium on Sunday before the Manchester City match

And on Sunday, with Nasri's new club in town, the midfielder was back on his old stomping ground. He was there as a fan, though, due to the suspension he received for a red card a Norwich last month.

Rather than arrive under the cover of his car or team coach, the 25-year-old opted to walk to the stadium, a decision which backfired as he was heckled and at one point even accosted by angry home support.

But springing to his defence was, of all people, former team-mate Marouane Chamakh, himself far from popular at the Emirates, and currently on loan at West Ham.

In a video posted on Twitter and YouTube, Nasri can be seen, and heard, coming under a barrage of abuse along Hornsey Road.

As the stadium comes into focus on the amateur footage, one man made for the France forward only to be yanked away by the tall Moroccan.

In the days following the holing of the five-foot putt of a lifetime and the jubilation expressed by his Ryder Cup team-mates and Europe’s disbelieving supporters, Martin Kaymer described it as one of those putts where you feel the hero if you make it and an idiot if you do not.

But, as the days have turned to weeks and the full impact of what he achieved during Europe’s 14-13 victory has sunk in, the thoughtful German has come to look upon that short putt that realised the Miracle at Medinah in even more stark terms.

‘Now I honestly feel like my whole career might have been on the line,’ he said.

Zero to hero: Martin Kaymer salvaged a poor year with the winning putt at Medinah

‘I sometimes think about what would have happened if I had missed it. Would I have had the mental strength to recover from thinking I had let down a whole continent

‘I had a similar putt to win my first major, the US PGA Championship in 2010, but the feeling was completely different.

‘If I had missed that one it would have been my own fault and I would have moved on to the next major.

‘But letting down so many people That doesn’t bear thinking about.’

The other side of the coin, of course, is the confidence that has flowed from making it.

‘Up to that point it hadn’t been a good year for me, I would have given it about a three or four at best out of 10,’ he said. ‘Then, all of a sudden, you feel a lot happier about matters. On paper you’d probably still only give the year a three or four but mentally it had suddenly gone up a few marks.’

No pressure then: Kaymer watches his putt find its way toward the hole on the 18th… before sparking wild celebrations (below)

That much was obvious in his final event in South Africa, where it looked like the Kaymer of a couple of years back as he held off the local favourite, Charl Schwartzel, to win his first tournament of the year.

Now he’s enjoying some downtime and the celebrity twirl that follows on from being the man who completed the comeback.

There was an appearance on one of the biggest television shows in Germany, for example. It is called I Bet That I Can, in which members of the general public bet they can do certain unlikely things and Hollywood and sporting stars have to decide whether they can or not.

Nothing put in front of Kaymer by Joe Public could have been as unlikely as the idea that he would end up on Sunday at Medinah as the man feted by all and sundry.

Who would possibly have bet on that on Saturday, when Kaymer sat out both sessions and, on the advice of assistant captain Darren Clarke, sought out his hero, Bernhard Langer, for some serious counselling.

‘I hadn’t played well on Friday and was desperate to show what I could do on Saturday, so you can imagine how I felt when I was told I wasn’t playing,’ he said.

‘Bernhard was a huge help. He reminded me in no uncertain terms what team play is all about.’

Trophy life: Graeme McDowell, Kaymer and Justin Rose enjoy one of the more remarkable comebacks in Ryder Cup history

As Sunday afternoon unfolded dramatically, it began to dawn on Kaymer that he might end up in the spot occupied by Graeme McDowell last time. From the forgotten man the previous day, he had become the one all his team-mates were relying on.

‘I think for the last 90 minutes I knew that it would probably come down to my match,’ he recalled.

‘On the 14th I was looking at the board and I was all square, Francesco (Molinari) in the last match against Tiger Woods was all square and I was counting the points we had got.

‘I could see that something huge was potentially unfolding. One, two, three, four points, on I went but I knew we needed at least a point from me, or two half-points from Francesco and me.

‘The last three holes were great, the excitement was beautiful. On the 17th I had a four-footer that I had to hole and, when that went in, it gave me a lot of belief.’

It is entirely typical of Kaymer that he admits feeling uncomfortable at the amount of praise that has flowed his way.

‘I was a little surprised afterwards at how many people came up and congratulated me,’ he said.

Trump card: Ian Poulter gave Europe a glimpse on Saturday afternoon as five birdies ensured a point in the fourballs to make it 10-6

‘Obviously I made the last putt but at the end of the day I got only one point and I played in only two matches. There were other guys, they inspired the team a lot more than me. I mean, what Ian Poulter did on Saturday afternoon is very difficult to put into words. He deserves a lot more credit than anyone else.'

So to the 18th hole and that cauldron of noise. Kaymer must still be able to hear the cries of ‘Miss it! Miss it!’ even now.

‘I
could hear people trying to put me off but it wasn’t distracting me,’
he said. ‘You are so much in the moment. I thought of what Jose Maria
(Olazabal) had told me in very straightforward, very strict sentences.
This is why I want you on the team. We need your win, so please
deliver.’

And deliver he did, with two perfect blows to strike fear into the heart of his opponent, Steve Stricker.

Then, after the putt Kaymer couldn’t believe travelled fully five feet past the hole, came the one that will define him.

In the weeks that have followed,
Kaymer has watched it countless times. ‘I’m a great believer in watching
things that make you happy,’ he said.

'For us he is about the start and build-up of most of the creative side of our game – he runs at them (defenders) with pace and ability that puts them on the back foot,' he said.

'That is what we have lost and what we will be missing for a number of weeks so we are going to have to be a bit more dogged and resilient with the players we have got available, rather than have the more creative side we have had from Mo.'

Diame's performances for the Hammers
have seen him linked with a number of clubs, especially given that he
has a release clause in his contract, but Allardyce reckons he would
rather deal with bids for his player in the transfer window than have
him sidelined.

'I would sooner have that aggravation
in January where people trying to get him than lose him for the period
of time, eight-12 weeks,' he said.

Stretchered off: Diame is taken from the field for treatment

'In my experience, I have had a
number of hamstring injuries myself in my time, when you go down like
that you know you have really got (a bad) one.

'We will wait until it has settled
down and then scan it, we will find out exactly how big the damage is
and move on from there.'

Blackpool are playing a game of brinkmanship over plans to install Michael Appleton as their new manager after arguing he should be allowed to leave Fratton Park for nothing.

The Championship club have agreed personal terms with Appleton after making him their preferred choice to take over from Ian Holloway, as exclusively revealed in Sportsmail Online.

On the move: Michael Appleton is set to leave Portsmouth for Blackpool

But talks are continuing between the
two clubs after Portsmouth’s demand for 200,000 in compensation was
rejected by Blackpool, who are adamant they should not have to pay
anything.

Portsmouth believe 200,000 is the
figure due to them, under the terms of Appleton’s contract, but
Blackpool are just as insistent their right to any payment has been
scuppered by their ongoing financial difficulties.

Cash-strapped Pompey have struggled
to pay staff wages in recent times, and Appleton is thought to be among
those who have not always received their full entitlement.

Blackpool feel they have therefore forfeited any right to compensation and that Appleton is free to walk away on his own terms.

Struggling Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has admitted seeking advice from former boss Martin O'Neill in his bid to kick-start the Villans' season.

Lambert worked under O'Neill between 200-2005 when he was captain at Celtic and the bond they forged then is helping the Villa boss through a tricky spell.

The club have won just one of their seven Barclays Premier League encounters this season and Lambert has conceded he will turn to O'Neill for more help.

Helping hand: Lambert has admitted to calling his old buddy O'Neill

He told the Birmingham Mail: 'In management terms I am still very young, I’ll make mistakes hands down, but as long as I can learn from them.

'I phone the gaffer because he’s been in it longer than me and I always think if I could get a smudge of his success, just a little bit, I’ll be doing all right.

'There have been times when I’ve phoned him up for advice, and I spoke to him before I came. He said it is a brilliant club, with a massive fan base and never dissuaded me one bit. Not one iota.

'I think he had a good time here, had a lot of success and had the place absolutely rocking, so if I need help I’ll definitely give him a call. I don’t have any problem making mistakes – I just need to learn from them.

'There are certain times when I'll need a bit of help and I'll phone him up and ask “can you help”.'

Hamilton the outsider: Farewell party backfires as McLaren go out with Button

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UPDATED:

19:00 GMT, 13 October 2012

Comfort blanket: Lewis Hamilton feels the cold after his decision to quit McLaren

Lewis Hamilton admits there are those at McLaren who will not be saddened by his departure after almost 15 years with the team.

His attempt to host a farewell party backfired in Japan last weekend when team members opted instead to spend the evening in the company of his team-mate, Jenson Button, he disclosed on the eve of the Korean Grand Prix.

And McLaren chairman Ron Dennis, the man who bankrolled Hamilton’s momentous journey from childhood karting prodigy to Formula One world champion, is no longer on speaking terms with him.

Dennis is believed to be disappointed
that Hamilton’s decision to quit McLaren for Mercedes next season had
been unduly influenced by a grand marketing plan of his management
company XIX Entertainment, led by Simon Fuller, whose most famous
clients are the Spice Girls and David Beckham.

After
claiming third place on the grid for the race in Korea, Hamilton
conceded: ‘There will be people [at McLaren] who are happy I am going,
some who are unhappy I am going. In life, you cannot have 1,000 people
all with you. Some will be sad, some will be supportive. That’s how
things are.’

Hamilton’s plan to host his team on the road in the Far East to a party at a bowling alley in Japan last Saturday fell apart when he discovered the majority had already accepted an invitation from Button to participate in a fun-run for charity.

‘I booked 16 lanes at the bowling on Saturday night, but something else came up,’ he confessed. ‘They were committed to doing the run and went with JB and the rest of the team.’

Growing apart: Relations between Jenson Button and the departing Hamilton at a low

Button’s universal popularity within McLaren is undeniable. Yet his relationship with Hamilton, always cordial in the past, has become strained after his team-mate’s injudicious employment of his Twitter account.

In Belgium, Hamilton posted sensitive telemetry after qualifying, to the infuriation of McLaren’s management, and last week he accused Button of ‘unfollowing’ him when his team-mate had never ‘followed’ him. On both occasions, Hamilton had to apologise.

At 32, Button has never had anything in common with Hamilton outside of their shared desire to make McLaren a winning team.

After a poor Q2 qualifying, Button will start from 11th position, but within the paddock there are those who suspect he will have commanded a great deal of assistance as a strategy was devised to assist him deliver a good result.

Strategy: Button begins from 11th spot in Korea, with McLaren looking to boost their man

Former team owner Eddie Jordan, in Korea for the BBC, said: ‘The team are looking to next year and Jenson is the future, not Lewis.’

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, a natural-born diplomat, is too smart to openly take sides, not least as he still needs Hamilton to win points in the Constructors’ Championship. Yet his evaluation of the race was revealing.

The problem for McLaren is that the Red Bull team have gained an obvious advantage on all their rivals, with Mark Webber defeating twice world champion Sebastian Vettel in their duel for pole position. Vettel’s rival for the world title, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, will start alongside Hamilton in fourth place.

For his part, Hamilton is still hopeful of making a dignified exit from McLaren.

‘I am sure at one stage I will be back at the factory,’ he explained. ‘A lot of drivers have come and gone — just left. But I have a good relationship with these people. I did my work experience here when I was at school. I saw all the different areas and workshops. I made some gears and a wishbone. I met a lot of people who are still there today.’

And after winning the 2008 world championship, and a total of 20 grand prix victories, Hamilton insisted: ‘I have never felt that I have not given it my all or anything like that, because I have given it all I have.’